CONSIDER, for a moment, the traditional sounds of a British summer: the soft jangling of china crockery on a picnic blanket; the thwack of willow hitting leather on a village green; the politely ordered cacophony of a brass band ‘tuning up’ for a bandstand concert on a sunny afternoon. The latter, an endearing reminder of our Victorian forefathers’ obsession with genteel outdoor pursuits and a belief in the virtue-inducing power of music, was, until recently, at risk of almost being lost to the nation forever.
Parks and recreational areas in our towns and cities proliferated in the 19th century as a foil to increasing industrialisation and urbanisation. The introduction of the Select Committee for Public Walks in 1833 provided public access to green spaces, encouraging ‘a better use
